The Elk Island Catholic Schools District said it does not approve of the conduct depicted in a leaked audio recording from Fort Saskatchewan's St. André Bessette High School and will conduct a review of the situation, according to a statement released on Friday. "The conduct depicted in the recording does not align with the core values of our Division in recognizing the inherent value and dignity of all people and requires further investigation," reads the statement. "EICS expects all educators to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and to present the curriculum in an unbiased, respectful manner."Friday's release comes after a leaked audio file, recorded by a student, revealed a teacher lecturing his class and criticizing Alberta's conservative society. "We are taking this matter very seriously. A thorough internal review and investigation into the incident are currently underway, " the statement reads. "To protect the integrity of the investigative process and privacy of those involved, the Division will offer no further comment at this time.".The audio, released on Thursday by influencer BertaProudDad and recorded by a St. André Bessette student, features a teacher mocking Alberta's conservative population. "Your entire society is built on 'F*** Trudeau' sticker, 'Oil pipelines, now.' 'You bad, I good.' 'Angry,'" said the teacher to his students. "Okay, but you can't control your entire society with anger."He then suggests that these individuals believe money can solve their anger, and that working in Fort McMurray's oil industry is where they go to make that money. Before spouting off that "they all blow up" at the suggestion of installing solar panels in Fort McMurray. "But the idea is, they're like, they are conservative," the teacher said. "And you walk up there, you're like, 'I think you guys should consider other possibilities of political parties.' And they're like, 'But there is no other possibilities of political parties.'""But yeah, there's the NDP, the Green Party, and the Liberals. And they're like, '...'".St. André Bessette has not responded to the Western Standard's request for comment, which was made on Thursday. The school's only comments came before the audio's release, in a leaked email from Principal Scott Walker sent to the school's parents on Tuesday."It has come to our attention that a recording snippet of out of context content of one of our classes has been shared online and will likely be the subject of a social media influencers podcast this evening," reads the email, posted on social media by BertaProudDad.Walker informed parents that the school is acting on the video and urged parents and students with questions to contact him. .The Government of Alberta harshly condemned the teacher's actions in a number of statements released shortly after the audio surfaced. "Teachers are expected to uphold the highest standard of professionalism by creating an inclusive, respectful learning environment for all students—without exception—regardless of their political beliefs," reads a portion of a statement from Garrett Koehler, senior press secretary to Alberta's Minister of Education and Childcare."The audio from the Fort Saskatchewan teacher is deeply troubling and appears to show a blatant failure to provide a safe, neutral space for students who hold conservative views.""This kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable and raises serious concerns that classrooms are becoming politicized at the expense of genuine learning and student well‑being.".Premier Danielle Smith was firm in her statement regarding the teacher's comments. "I am deeply disappointed by what is heard in this recording," wrote Smith in an X post. "Teachers have a duty to remain professional and politically neutral in the classroom.""Students are there to learn math, language, science and critical thinking based on the approved curriculum, not to be subjected to profanity, partisan attacks, or insults toward Alberta’s ethical energy workers and their families. "Our classrooms must be places of respect where every student, and every family, feels welcome regardless of their political views or where they work.".The leaked audio circulated around social media Thursday and into Friday, with hundreds of users criticizing the teacher's remarks.
